A Footnote... And Bit Of A Mystery.



Extract from Main Page:
 Finally, while we were at the graveyard, I saw a headstone. The inscription touched me deeply because, like many around the graveyard, it brought home just how common it was for small children to die during the 19th century in that part of the world. I photographed it for no particular reason, and when I got it home I realised there was a bit of a mystery there, too.

First take a look at the inscription, then I'll tell you what I thought was odd about it:
1854
Erected by Christian Campbell in affectionate remembrance of her husband David Boyd Milton who died 7th Dec'r 1853 aged 57 years
And of four of their children who died in infancy
The above Christian Campbell. Died 21st Feb 1871 aged 79 years.
John Fulton grandson of the above. Died 8th Nov 1873 aged 10 years.
Eliza Boyd youngest daughter of the above. Born 30th January 1836 died 11th June 1838.

Firstly, as a father myself, I was deeply saddened by the line "And of four of their children who died in infancy". Infant death was so commonplace that they weren't even worth naming individually. Or maybe Christian Campbell was too poor to be able to pay the engraver to name her dead children as well as her husband.

Here's the mystery:
Look at Eliza Boyd's details. She was nearly two and a half when she died. Heartbreaking. But why is her name the last on the list? Why was she the only one of Christian Campbell's children to be named on the headstone and why does she appear after Christian's grandson, who himself died two years after Christian?

I've wondered about this. I like to think that when one of Christian's surviving daughter's own son died tragically aged 10, she'd been saddened to see her poor, nameless dead baby brothers and sisters on the inscription just as I had been a hundred and thirty years later.

Why did she choose to remember little Eliza? Maybe she had been her favourite little sister. Certainly, being the youngest child she would be the most likely to be remembered. Possibly the other three siblings had been tiny babies when they died. Maybe they'd died before little John Foulton's mum had been born.

I hope one day, someone who knows the truth behind this sad little echo of the past will read this web page and mail me the truth about what really happened.

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